While the army of the Goths makes war, the Romans may live in peace!' AD 468. With the last Roman emperor of the West deposed, the Empire is in ruins — a plaything for the barbarian armies that rampage across it. This extraordinary story spans Europe, from the intrigues of Constantinople to the battlefields of the future France, North Africa and the Balkans, tracing the rise of Theoderic the Goth to a pinnacle of power and wealth. Ross Laidlaw was born in Aberdeen and educated at Cambridge University. He has worked and travelled extensively in Southern Africa and currently lives in East Lothian.